Howard Webb.

[orangecity23]

Why are you even here atw88? Shouldn't you be celebrating somewhere? Leave us alone for piss sake, we've just had a heartbreaking result and want to take it out on a referee.

[StanSP]

Wellens going in two footed

Solano tugging and pulling all over the place

Howard being the thug that he is

Waghorn falling over.

you're no saving angels.

Compare all that to what I just mentioned. Clear to see who the dirty fuckers are.

Tugging/pulling shirts is hardly crime of the century.

And falling over? What about Chopra diving and Bothroyd acting like he's been shot everytime a Leicester player got near him?

[Bugg]

Wellens going in two footed

Solano tugging and pulling all over the place

Howard being the thug that he is

Waghorn falling over.

you're no saving angels.

Don't even talk about falling over after seeing several of your players thinking it was the evening swim session.

[Donut]

What's your defence for:

Etuhu/Bothroyd using elbows on more than one occasion?

Chopra's stamp on Wellens and getting away with it?

Your defender's cynical challenge on Berner late in the match?

Andf going back a while:

Gyepes' rugby tackle on Vaughan?

and you are just a bitter twat

and thats coming from a leicester fan

[Ozwin]

Chopra is just pure scum, I'm trying my best not to be bitter on here but he seriously took the piss with his bitching and complaining after every tackle, trying to get players booked and sent off. He's exactly what's wrong with football and I hope he gets what's coming to him.

[Bugg]

Chopra is just pure scum, I'm trying my best not to be bitter on here but he seriously took the piss with his bitching and complaining after every tackle, trying to get players booked and sent off. He's exactly what's wrong with football and I hope he gets what's coming to him.

He probably made a bet on some of our players being sent off

[Ultra]

If Webb is as inept as this in the World Cup he'll end up causing World War Three.

But we've seen all season, and not just in City games, that the quality of match officials has plummeted.

In games of this magnitude, the Football League should appoint the best available, regardless of nationality.

The squeals of "English bias" would have been heard for days if certain decisions had gone our way.

[Chrysalis]

As an experienced ref, I think he managed the occasion well. A less experienced ref might have gone at the cards like confetti at a wedding. Wellens, Bothroyd, Chopra, Ledley, Solano might all have gone for countless petty fouls so he did well to keep 22 on the pitch.

As a consequence, his decisions looked a bit random at times. And he bloody loves himself and the camera.

If there's ever 'Howard Webb - The Movie', I want him to be played by Pete Postlethwaite.

surely as a ref you understand they need to be consistent.

1 - I seen some fouls commited by cardiff players that were harder than leics players got booked for.

2 - he pretty much kept rewarding the cardiff diving tactics.

3 - his assistant bottled out of an offside when he awarded a penalty. plus the penatly was soft. how often do you see a penalty given but no card?

4 - he took the time to tell both keepers to stay on the line on the penalty shootout then didnt order a retake when their keeper was off the line.

5 - his positioning was poor he kept getting in the way of play for both teams.

Now there was another game this season I felt the ref was one sided, it was the game vs newcastle where we also had a premiership ref. We also had a ton of cards in that game as well.

eg. wellen doing a tackle he thought he could get away with based on the previous harder tackle chopra didnt get booked for.

do these ref's get assessed after games I am curious? or are they gods and not answerable to anyone?

[Chrysalis]

Put it this way - did he go running up to players flashing his card everywhere?

When chosing to book someone, did he give himself time and composure to think about his decisoon?

On balance, did he get the majority of decisions 'he gave' correct?

Did the game flow?

Had you really noticed him up until the penalty incident?

I think all in all, he's as a decent a ref as you can get when you have any bias involved. And in terms of my comments about the thread, it's not just down to the thread maker but to the people who subsequently post in them. And lets face it - every bloody week at least someone on here has an issue with the officials.

Put it this way - did he go running up to players flashing his card everywhere? there was a period of the game where we got some cards close in succession so yes

When chosing to book someone, did he give himself time and composure to think about his decisoon? he took his time yes

On balance, did he get the majority of decisions 'he gave' correct? dont know for sure but he got a LOT wrong, so we talking probably at least 40% wrong.

Did the game flow? we back to consistency issues, in extra time it was obvious he was avoiding fouls and letting it flow, didnt want to send people off and do late bookings, at certian points of the game he was dishing out yellows for and rewarding free kicks for dives.

Had you really noticed him up until the penalty incident? yes.

[buzzy]

howard webb has to be the worst ref i have seen.what about chopra on wellens was not even booked.the foul on berner when racing through decide for yourselves.last season went to old trafford with spurs mate then spurs 2 nil up gave penalty to the mancs what was so dubious scored and went on to win 5-2. why do we have to have prem ref for the playoffs fook back to the prem . he is crap and if that's the best ref there's no hope for the rest

[DavesBarmyArmy]

Ah come on guys, I really think he was poor for both of us. Those of you complaining about Kelvin's use of elbows have never seen him play before, it's just the way he's built - he sprints in a straight line, and can't do much else (first touch of a rapist an all but that's a different matter).

Bothroyd dives, it winds us up as well, and Chops would probably be despised if he played for another team.

It was, however, a penalty. And had it been against us, I wouldn't have complained. Someone mentioned offside but I honestly can't comment on that because I need to see it again.

And, atw said as much, Howard and Wellens are certainly not the angelic beings you'd like them to be portrayed as.

The referees have been shit for the semis, that's what we get with Premiership refs in the Championship, we've all had experiences of that before!!

Imo, Mike Dean's the best English ref. And that's not the best state of affairs really. Bring back the days of Hackett and Collina!!!

[Finnegan]

Wellens going in two footed

Solano tugging and pulling all over the place

Howard being the thug that he is

Waghorn falling over.

you're no saving angels.

You can't blame people for being biased. Especially in such an emotionally charged atmosphere, given a week or two to reflect and calm down a lot of people might be willing to put credit where it's due (with Cardiff) but people are going to be angry and going to need time to chill.

If that's an issue for you I'd go back to your 'home' forum and let it be. Don't sit around provoking people even more who are clearly feeling really bummed out about now, you wouldn't want it were the roles reversed. We've always welcomed 'away' fans on here and your contributions will be welcomed if they're reasonable. But stoking the flames is a bit unneeded, mate.

(For the record, I do agree with you.)

[DavesBarmyArmy]

Put it this way - did he go running up to players flashing his card everywhere? there was a period of the game where we got some cards close in succession so yes

When chosing to book someone, did he give himself time and composure to think about his decisoon? he took his time yes

On balance, did he get the majority of decisions 'he gave' correct? dont know for sure but he got a LOT wrong, so we talking probably at least 40% wrong.

Did the game flow? we back to consistency issues, in extra time it was obvious he was avoiding fouls and letting it flow, didnt want to send people off and do late bookings, at certian points of the game he was dishing out yellows for and rewarding free kicks for dives.

Had you really noticed him up until the penalty incident? yes.

So basically you ARE saying that, apart from one phase in the second half, he didn't consistently flash his cards, he took the necessary time to consider his decisions before producing a card, got more than 60% of his decisions correct (because I'm sure if he didn't, there'd be some sort of enquiry by the FA), let the game flow but called fouls and simulations as necessary, and that you'd known there was a referee on the pitch all through the game...

So your problem is what exactly??

[Aeropars]

I feel very hard doen by. The foul leading the the peno was by all definitions, offside. The ball was played towards a player who was active. That player then ran onto the ball from an offside position. I could understand it if the offside was difficult to spot at full speed however this wasnt even close. Chopra was 2 yards offside.

In my opinion the FA should suspend officials who key decisions like this wrong. It makes a mockery of the game when decisons like this are gotten wrong.

Some might see this as a biased assessment but in all honesty, I'd be saying the same thing on any game if the situation arose.

[Chrysalis]

So basically you ARE saying that, apart from one phase in the second half, he didn't consistently flash his cards, he took the necessary time to consider his decisions before producing a card, got more than 60% of his decisions correct (because I'm sure if he didn't, there'd be some sort of enquiry by the FA), let the game flow but called fouls and simulations as necessary, and that you'd known there was a referee on the pitch all through the game...

So your problem is what exactly??

short answer he wasnt consistent. in particular he was more leniant to one side and made a howler decision at a key point of the game

[Houdini Logic]

He was a complete homer last night

[dandannieldanok]

He and his assistants were a calamity most of the time. I've never seen a ref so hesistant in blowing his whistle and giving a decision, and most of the time they were dreadful decisions for and against both teams. Some of the yellow cards were laughable.

[marbelladave]

Strangely I thought Webb was first class!

In a game that was intensely competitive yet lacking any real malice he kept his cards in his pocket when a less confident official would have had us playing 5 a side by the end.

He was lenient to several players on both sides with the result that we had a pulsating 'old fashioned' 11 a side game that left me and pretty much everyone else drained.

:appl:

The only really bad error was from the linesman who failed to spot Chopra offside just before the penalty, didn't see it at the time but it is as clear as day on the replay. Surprised there was not more fuss really.

[Lillehamring]

i have to disagree with the notion that his refereeing style was good because he 'kept 22 players on the pitch'...

the 2nd half was a shambles, with so many cards and free kicks being handed out, and a large number of the cards he handed out were for challenges with little or no contact.

to be fair, there was an awful lot of airborne antics from cardiff that made the job tougher, but i think once he started he couldn't stop.

i think it was only luck that prevented a 2nd yellow for one of our boys, some of the cards were very harsh

i'm not sure you can credit a referee with a good performance when he dishes out 9 cards and gives 40-odd free kicks in a generally very 'footballing' game.

[Samilktray]

I dont understand how Chopra got away with the stamp on Wellens. You can tell from the replay theres some intent there as his foot accelerates towards his face when it was simple enough to kick the ball.

[Foxhateram]

I dont understand how Chopra got away with the stamp on Wellens. You can tell from the replay theres some intent there as his foot accelerates towards his face when it was simple enough to kick the ball.

Agreed, Howard Webb was standing right over it as well! He had a word and told him to calm down! that should have been red!

"He did well to keep 22 on the pitch" What is that philosophy about? Chopra should have been off! The Leicester lads did bloody well to stay on the pitch because the ref made it impossible to make a challenge towards the end of the game for the Leicester lads as he had booked over half of them who were on the field for nothing challenges already. The sky camera's replayed every dodgy decision and to be quite honest the ref's decisions throughout the game could not have been more inconsistent.

Leicester made challenges on many occasions that were hard but fair and clearly got the ball but bothroyd or chopra went down like they had been shot and the ref gave a freekick and a yellow card, most of the bookings he gave were fair challenges! Then when Cardiff made genuinely awful challenges, chopra on wellens, the defender on Bruno (This should of been red! the bloke knew he was beaten and chopped bruno's heals!) There were no bookings at all.

When a referee has dished out bookings like confetti and makes players such as Hobbs who is normally so assured in a tackle, end up backing off such that it led to cardiff gaining more shooting opertunities then there is something wrong! it highlights how powerful refereeing decisions can be in this game and i am sorry but this one needs to be investigated. Even Sky Commentators said this last night and Sky hate Leicester!

As for the Penalty! Well pfffft he let cardiff players off for worse earlier in the game and offside? yer by about 2 yards! We were unlucky with refs in both of these semi final games! They should be investigated!

Respect campaign yes agreed refereeing is a hard job been there got the T-Shirt, yes you shouldn't shout and scream at them they have a hard job! But there is onyl so far that can go before it needs to be assessed, this one needs to assessed!

[marbelladave]

i have to disagree with the notion that his refereeing style was good because he 'kept 22 players on the pitch'...

the 2nd half was a shambles, with so many cards and free kicks being handed out, and a large number of the cards he handed out were for challenges with little or no contact.

to be fair, there was an awful lot of airborne antics from cardiff that made the job tougher, but i think once he started he couldn't stop.

i think it was only luck that prevented a 2nd yellow for one of our boys, some of the cards were very harsh

i'm not sure you can credit a referee with a good performance when he dishes out 9 cards and gives 40-odd free kicks in a generally very 'footballing' game.

Didn't see it that way at all. I accept that the refereeing was very 'untypical' of what is usually the case in the modern game, but had the game been refereed to the usual Championship standard we would have had Wellens, Solano and Bruce all sent off and at least a couple of Cardiff players joining them. The number of free kicks were representative of a very intense and competitive game and I think Webb had this in mind throughout, the only booking that, for me, was totally unjustified was King's, little contact and Chopra (I think) making the most of it.

Agreed, Howard Webb was standing right over it as well! He had a word and told him to calm down! that should have been red!

"He did well to keep 22 on the pitch" What is that philosophy about? Chopra should have been off! The Leicester lads did bloody well to stay on the pitch because the ref made it impossible to make a challenge towards the end of the game for the Leicester lads as he had booked over half of them who were on the field for nothing challenges already. The sky camera's replayed every dodgy decision and to be quite honest the ref's decisions throughout the game could not have been more inconsistent.

Leicester made challenges on many occasions that were hard but fair and clearly got the ball but bothroyd or chopra went down like they had been shot and the ref gave a freekick and a yellow card, most of the bookings he gave were fair challenges! Then when Cardiff made genuinely awful challenges, chopra on wellens, the defender on Bruno (This should of been red! the bloke knew he was beaten and chopped bruno's heals!) There were no bookings at all.

When a referee has dished out bookings like confetti and makes players such as Hobbs who is normally so assured in a tackle, end up backing off such that it led to cardiff gaining more shooting opertunities then there is something wrong! it highlights how powerful refereeing decisions can be in this game and i am sorry but this one needs to be investigated. Even Sky Commentators said this last night and Sky hate Leicester!

As for the Penalty! Well pfffft he let cardiff players off for worse earlier in the game and offside? yer by about 2 yards! We were unlucky with refs in both of these semi final games! They should be investigated!

Respect campaign yes agreed refereeing is a hard job been there got the T-Shirt, yes you shouldn't shout and scream at them they have a hard job! But there is onyl so far that can go before it needs to be assessed, this one needs to assessed!

Again I think you are over exaggerating. Both sets of players were given leeway and the game was all the better for it. If you want the ref to 'go by the book' then you have to accept that 3 City players would have been sent off and the game ruined. Webb did not get everything right by any means but I do not think he favoured either side.

The only really disappointing decision was Chopra being off side just before the penalty and that was the linesman's fault, not Webb's.

[Foxhateram]

Didn't see it that way at all. I accept that the refereeing was very 'untypical' of what is usually the case in the modern game, but had the game been refereed to the usual Championship standard we would have had Wellens, Solano and Bruce all sent off and at least a couple of Cardiff players joining them. The number of free kicks were representative of a very intense and competitive game and I think Webb had this in mind throughout, the only booking that, for me, was totally unjustified was King's, little contact and Chopra (I think) making the most of it.

Again I think you are over exaggerating. Both sets of players were given leeway and the game was all the better for it. If you want the ref to 'go by the book' then you have to accept that 3 City players would have been sent off and the game ruined. Webb did not get everything right by any means but I do not think he favoured either side.

The only really disappointing decision was Chopra being off side just before the penalty and that was the linesman's fault, not Webb's.

6 Yellow cards to us against there what 3? They made just as many awful challenges some of which were worse then what our players got booked for and got no card at all. It is this bit that irritates me, he went on a booking spree of booking 5 leicester players in a matter of 5 minutes! Then cardiff made the same sort of challenges if not worse and were not booked at all. He made it impossible for a leicester player to make a challenge! it should be looked into.

You say playing by the rule book and say players should have been off i agree with you. However he should be consistent for both sides and half of what he booked our players for were fair challenges, i wish i had recorded the game so i could make a compilation to show.

I am not going to say more on the matter as i am still fuming!

[FoxyPV]

I thought he was a bit too lenient esp with Chopra (not even a booking FFS) but overall I thought he was very good.

The linesmen however

[munf1987]

All in all i think a number of bad decisions have cost us.

The free kick decision at the walkers to make it 1-0, very soft free kick and a poor chopra dive

The poor offside decision which led to the penalty

Bruce should have just cleared the ball anyway and nothing would have came of it.

How did chopra stay on the pitch, his stamp on wellens was awful, miles away from the ball and was lucky not to catch wellens more than he did. His moaning for every foul/dive trying to get leicester players booked, where has the rule gone where asking for cards is a yellow straight away. I had to laugh though when solano pulled chopra back and he still managed to fall over forwards.

Kermits penalty just to top it off. Says it all really poor waggers had all the pressure on him after this and even though waghorns hit a good penalty and forced a good save out the keeper, I just hope this doesnt turn out to be his last kick for the club, he deserves better as all season he has been quality, hope it doesnt affect the lad too much.

I hope blackpool beat them now, theyll sign DJ of us and they'll come straight back down anyway